Pounds: Won not done

Kudos to Toledo City Council for approving — by an overwhelming majority — ProMedica’s proposal to move its headquarters Downtown.

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With the 11-1 vote Jan. 20, the project has cleared perhaps its biggest hurdle, but much more work remains. There is still more discussion to be had, more agreements to hammer out. Now is the time to keep this momentum and spirit of cooperation moving forward.

Next, ProMedica and the city must agree on a development contract, expected by April. Judging by issues brought up at recent Council committee meetings, topics likely to be considered include whether and what kind of minority inclusion, park restoration and grounds maintenance provisions might be added.

The main players may be busy moving forward, but some opponents are still looking back. The sticking point for many green space advocates is ProMedica’s plan to build a six-story parking garage on part of Promenade Park, and the vote has quieted but not ceased calls for alternate parking options. Many, including Judge James G. Carr, aren’t convinced ProMedica fully considered other options. There’s talk from others of collecting signatures to try and put the issue to a vote.

After the Jan. 20 meeting, Robin Whitney, ProMedica’s vice president of property acquisition and development, told Toledo Free Press Editor in Chief Sarah Ottney that she hasn’t given up hope of convincing skeptics.

“I hope one day when we get this project done they’re going to like it,” she said. “That’s really still my goal. I think we’re going to be improving the park and really making it an amenity and I believe that we can still do that. I haven’t given up hope that I can get them converted and be supportive of what we’re doing.”

Some may never accept the loss of green space, particularly to a parking garage. But ProMedica would be wise to take the time to fully and transparently address those lingering concerns and try to put those questions to rest. As Carr said during last week’s Council committee meeting: “Persuade me.”

On the flip side, I haven’t seen this many business and community leaders united in excited over a development in a long time. Mud Hens/Walleye President and CEO Joe Napoli, Fifth Third Bank President Robert LaClair, Steve Cavanaugh of HCR ManorCare and Richard Hylant of Hylant Group are just a few of the longtime Downtown stakeholders who testified to Council that the deal was the most exciting thing they’d seen come along in decades.

Officials with the Downtown Toledo Improvement District and Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce both report an uptick in interest in other Downtown properties. “We keep hearing it will be a trickle-down effect when they move Downtown; I really think it’s going to be a roaring cascade effect,” Cindy Kerr, executive director of the Downtown Toledo Improvement District, told Ottney. “I already see the needle moving.”

After their Sugar Bowl victory, Ohio State players donned T-shirts stating “Won not done,” claiming laurels for the accomplishment while also acknowledging their next challenge: the title game. Millions of Buckeye fans watched that game through their fingers as OSU seemed determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with a series of fumbles.

Let’s not fumble now.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press. He can be reached at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

Fifth Third Bank increases commercial loans

Banks have recapitalized and are ready to loan money as the commercial and consumer credit markets are open again according to executives at Fifth Third Bank who discussed current trends in commercial credit markets at a forum held July 25 by the bank in Toledo.

“We feel pretty good about the economy. It is getting better out there but it’s still very fragile,” said Bruce Lee, executive vice president and chief credit officer at Fifth Third Bank.

Fifth Third has some of the highest capital in the industry as its revenues continue to grow, according to Lee. The bank lent $8.2 billion in new commercial loans to customers in the first six months of 2012.

“We’re open for business on the loan front. The credit quality is as good as it’s been in four years. Things have improved significantly since 2008,” said Robert LaClair, president and CEO of Fifth Third Bank of Northwest Ohio.

Fifth Third lent $53 million in new commercial loans and $40 million in new consumer loans in Northwest Ohio in the month of June, LaClair reported. The bank anticipates lending $175-180 million in commercial loans, $25 million in consumer loans and $400 million in mortgages in the region this year.

Fifth Third recently announced its results for the second quarter of 2012 with net income up 14 percent. The bank has loaned $4.6 billion at an average of six percent overall in the past 12 months, according to LaClair.

Bruce Lee (left) and Robert LaClair of Fifth Third Bank address the audience at the Toledo Club July 25.

He called Lee a “Northwest Ohio guy” when he introduced him to the audience of bank officials and customers at the Toledo Club. Lee formerly led the commercial lending division and headed Fifth Third Bank in Northwest Ohio from 2003 to 2005.

“It’s great to be back in Northwest Ohio,” Lee said.

They reported that Fifth Third Bank has invested $700 million in Northwest Ohio this year. As the 12th largest bank in the U.S., all of its resources are delivered through the community bank model, LaClair said.

“Fifth Third is a Main Street bank not a Wall Street bank. We have a very diversified platform and love marketing in the Midwest,” Lee said.

Toledo is a mature market with a low cost of living and doing business. Unemployment is down to eight percent but the workforce is at an all-time low here.

Residential construction and development has begun to pick up with a recent rise in home prices and new home starts.

“Consumers and businesses have done the right thing by deleveraging but are cautious to start spending. Many businesses are not willing to capitalize and hire people yet. They could invest but don’t think it’s the right time. It’s a real challenge right now,” Lee said.

Fifth Third Bank recently announced that it will offer four additional loan products from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) program for commercial clients in Ohio. As an SBA Preferred Lender, the bank will be able to extend credit and financing options to help small businesses expand, improve working capital or enter into new markets.

“We hope it increases SBA lending for Firth Third. We’re trying to come up with new programs so people can access money in more non-traditional ways,” Lee said. “I really like the program for veterans and their spouses.”

The Patriot Express Loan is for veterans and members of the military that want to establish or expand small businesses and other purposes. Current spouses and widowed spouses of service members are eligible for the Patriot Loans.

The CAP Lines Program offers small businesses a revolving line of credit that can aid in financing contracts to address short-term and cyclical working capital needs.

SBA’s Export Express Loans benefit businesses that have been in operation for at least 12 months and can demonstrate that loan proceeds will support export development activity. Loans under this program can be term loans or revolving lines of credit.

SBA International Trade Loans provide small businesses with financing options to support export transactions and help them enter or expand into international markets. This program offers a combination of fixed asset, working capital or debt financing options.

“Through these SBA loan products, Fifth Third is committed to helping small businesses manage their cash cycle and create jobs to help fuel our recovering economy,” John Bultema, executive vice president and head of Business Banking for Fifth Third Bank, stated in a press release about the programs.

In addition, Fifth Third Bank broke ground July 24 for the construction of its new Point Place Banking Center at 4706 Summit Street. The new center will replace the existing Point Place branch and be located next door to it.

The new Point Place Banking Center will be Fifth Third’s first green banking center in Ohio. The facility was designed to use less energy and water than standard buildings and incorporates a number of advanced features to lessen its impact on the environment.

The Scarecrow’s gun

The Yellow Brick Road to preserving Libbey High School will not originate from One Government Center or 445 E. Manhattan Blvd.

We recently showed our young sons “The Wizard of Oz.” They were swept away by the swiftly moving story and infectious songs, as they followed Dorothy and her coterie through their perilous and eventful journey.

On March 4, as I watched an hourlong meeting concerning the fate of Libbey High School, I could not stop feeling I was reliving Frank L. Baum’s fever dream.

Activist Warren Woodberry and the Libbey Preservation Committee envisioned a meeting in which they could present several alternatives to the demolition of the buildings on the Libbey Campus on Western Ave. There are two key points to their plan. First, no one is fighting to restore Libbey as an active high school. It is understood by even the most fervent Libbey alumni that there will never again be Toledo Public Schools freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors ebbing and flowing through the halls like blood cells pumping through a network of arteries and veins. Second, there is no movement to save all of Libbey; the roof damage, accumulating water rot and general disrepair have doomed the magnificent main building. But the newer field house, food preparation space and vocational center offer an opportunity to create a community center that could house several services.

Among the two dozen ideas for Libbey usage Woodberry and the preservation committee were anxious to present were after school and GED programs, food and assistance programs, a voting site, a small manufacturing area, a computer training center, day care programs, a green technology site and vocational training. These are ideas, not signed contracts, but they are not concepts that can be described as unrealistic or impossible to implement.

Woodberry had noble intentions, but events beyond his control, like a tornado sweeping through the plains of Kansas, conspired to throw everything into chaos.

Over the rainbow

Before the 11 a.m. meeting, Toledo Mayor Mike Bell met with TPS officials — and only the most naïve among us would believe they were huddling to practice a choral arrangement of “Over the Rainbow.” According to the mayor’s office, “It was about two minutes and they exchanged pleasantries and [Bell] clearly articulated his position on Libbey to them so that they knew where he stood.”

From the beginning of the 11 a.m. meeting, it was clear that Bell, flanked by TPS Superintendent Jerome Pecko and TPS Board of Education President Bob Vasquez, was not there to facilitate a protracted conversation about the effort to preserve Libbey.

The meeting included two dozen elected officials (including TPS Board of Education member Brenda Hill, Lucas County Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak, Lucas County Administrator Peter Ujvagi and Toledo City Councilman Steve Steel), Libbey supporters, a few businessmen (including Fifth Third Bank President and Libbey graduate Robert LaClair) and cameras from the local television news stations.

There was enough straw wafting from the Scarecrow contingent to cover a path from One Government Center to Topeka. And while there were no Cowardly Lions in the room, there were several people Woodberry believed would be in attendance who were notably absent, including Sen. Edna Brown, former Mayor Carty Finkbeiner and Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority member Jerry Chabler.

Bell’s first statement was that the meeting would not be allowed to exceed 60 minutes. Bell’s second statement was that the City of Toledo was not going to take any financial responsibility for Libbey’s preservation nor its demolition costs. Neither of those definitive statements fostered any hope for a true dialogue. Bell was not surrounded by flames and green smoke, but he spoke with the authority of the Great and Powerful Oz himself, with that wizard’s penchant for “I will talk, you will listen” communication.

And your little dog, too

Before Woodberry, the ostensible host of the meeting, could speak, Bell gave the floor to Pecko, who made it clear that TPS had no intention of missing an Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) deadline for demolishing Libbey. Before he could finish, Toledo City Councilman (and Libbey graduate) D. Michael Collins interjected that he had testified before the OSFC on Feb. 24, and secured commitment that the $2.25 million in demolition funds could be guaranteed for an additional 24 months.

Like a pack of the Wicked Witch of the West’s winged henchmen, the TPS officials and Bell descended on Collins, questioning and doubting his comments about the OSFC arrangement. It was strikingly clear that Collins and Bell are not mutual fans; they seem to work together as well as a falling house and the Wicked Witch of the East.

Again, before Woodberry could begin, TPS Board of Education member Larry Sykes jumped in. Sykes, in an important community forum with the clock ticking, opened his comments with a glance at me and the statement that “I am not a terrorist,” a reference to a Feb. 6 column in which I described TPS’ decimation of the South End as “institutional terrorism.” Well, Mr. Sykes, despite your aggressive effort to single me out in a large crowd and intimidate future commentary, you made your point — you are no terrorist.

A terrorist is scary.

Sykes, the Tin Man displaying no heart, brusquely proclaimed that “the die were cast” on Libbey and that he did not see any chance that the TPS board would change its vote to demolish Libbey.

He said all that before one word on Libbey’s behalf was uttered by its supporters.

Within minutes, three levels of government exposed their egos, prejudices and alliances. If only a sixth-grade civics class had been watching from behind a panel of glass.

I’m melting! Melting!

Finally, Woodberry took the floor and implored the attendees to focus on the positive opportunities. He and his allies — including Sue Terrill of the Libbey Alumni Association, former Libbey basketball coach Leroy Bates and green technology housing expert Bill Decker — tried to build a case for the alternative uses of the Libbey property, but the preceding conflict and hostility punctured any opportunity for an open exchange of ideas. The impatience and disinterest on display from the city and TPS officials melted the meeting’s intent as surely as a bucket of water vaporized the Wicked Witch of the West.

It looked like the hour-long meeting was effectively ended within 30 minutes, but then, like a floating pink bubble heralding Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, Rep. Marcy Kaptur arrived. It did not take long for Kaptur to sum up the atmosphere; “I sense a lot of tension,” she said, in the most diplomatic comment since “I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

Since no one recapped the first 30 minutes of the meeting for her, Kaptur could not have known that the discussion did not for one minute focus on returning Libbey to its former status as an active school. So she opened her comments on that exact topic, suggesting the University of Toledo, or more likely Owens Community College, might utilize the campus for an educational opportunity. Kaptur did not wave a wand or cue the Munchkin chorus, but she brought a calm to the meeting that had been noticeably absent.

There’s no place like home

One of the productive, albeit inconclusive, conversation threads followed the projected costs of maintaining the Libbey buildings for Collins’ hypothetical 24 months. TPS Chief Business Manager James Gant estimated it would take a minimum $150,000 a year to “mothball” the unoccupied building, a number that does not include roof repairs or other essential preservation steps.

Various members of Toledo’s Lollipop Guild interjected during the meeting, but there was no true plan or course of action presented. There was more discussion of Collins’ OSFC proposal and agreement that there needs to be a short- and long-term needs discussion, but Woodberry and his allies never really gained control of the meeting from the yapping Totos in the room.

At noon, the monthly city alarm test effectively ended the meeting. Two dozen people from every level of Toledo government came together and left with nothing as resolute or certain as that blaring siren.

For as closely as its situation mirrored Dorothy’s, the collective group might as well have been wearing ruby slippers. The power to fix Libbey has been within them all along, but they are distracted by nostalgia, dreams, fears and the chatter of people who carry more resources in their brains, hearts and guts than they realize.

While watching “The Wizard of Oz” for the first time in 30 years, I was struck by a scene I did not remember from my small-screen viewing as a child. Just after the Wizard dispatches Dorothy and her posse to capture the Wicked Witch’s broomstick, they are shown in the haunted forest. Tin Man has his ax and a Quentin Tarrantino-size pipe wrench, Lion has a net and a Gallagher mallet and the Scarecrow is carrying … a gun. It’s a silver revolver, and to see it is to be shocked out of the film’s magical, musical “reality.”

Seeing a Toledo community movement fall victim to the least productive elements of Toledo politics was a real-life “Scarecrow’s gun” moment, a surreal, jarring, impossible to reconcile collision of liars and bribers and glares.

Oh, my.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him through e-mail at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

Alumni strive to keep Libbey’s ‘Cowboy spirit’ alive

For Gayle Schaber, going to work at Libbey High School has been like “going to the same funeral every day for four months.”

Schaber, who is the former director of Libbey, has been completing inventory, moving student records and maintaining the building for one last alumni visit since the school closed in June.

The floor is gathering dust as boxes of books wait to be placed in storage and other usable items are sent to Scott, Waite and Bowsher high schools — schools former Libbey students now attend. Metal bars lock doors and trophy cases are being emptied.

Items that remain in the building, such as student artwork, desks and storage units, will be sold at an auction; that date has not been set.

Edward Drummond Libbey High School opened in 1923. Its last class graduated in June 2010.

As for the fate of Libbey’s structure, it has not yet been determined. The building will remain standing until the Toledo Public Schools (TPS) Board of Education votes on what to do with it.

Looking back

Edward Drummond Libbey High School, named for the founder of Libbey Glass, opened in 1923.

During its 87 years, approximately 35,000 students graduated from Libbey, Schaber said.

In May, when the TPS board voted to close Libbey 3-2, the school had roughly 500 students enrolled. Libbey was built with a capacity for 2,000 students, but during its peak enrollment in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the high school had 3,000 students, Schaber said. During that time, split sessions were necessary to relieve overcrowding. Some students attended early while others later, she said.

Cowboy, Cowgirl spirit

For many Libbey alumni, memories of their time in high school live on.

“If there are four years I could live over again, my time at Libbey would be it,” said Orris Tabner, former sports director for WTOL-11 and 1950 graduate.

From left, Gayle Schaber, former Libbey director; Susan Terrill, 1966 graduate; and Larrie Baccus, president of the Alumni Association and 1973 graduate.

During his time at Libbey, Tabner was on the football team and ran track, but said what he enjoyed and remembers most are the people.

“It was such a unique group of people, and that included the teachers,” he said.

Larrie Baccus, president of the Libbey Alumni Association and 1973 graduate, remembers a large sense of school pride during his years as a Cowboy.

“When I got here, the spirit was such you could strike a match and it would explode. The excitement was so high,” he said.

Baccus attributes much of the spirit to the success of the basketball team at the time.

“We had one of the greatest in [former head basketball coach] Burt Spice. He worked so well with the program it propelled us into state prominence. Everyone wanted to come here and many wanted to play basketball,” he said.

To date, Libbey has won the most City League titles of any Toledo Public School, Baccus said.

Some of the many titles won by the school through the years include back-to-back state football championships in 1941 and 1942, a girls basketball state championship in 1981, a state championship for track in 1972 and two boys basketball state runners-up in 1966 and 2008.

Many alumni remember teachers who influenced them during their time at Libbey.

The ‘girls' gym’ at Libbey features a running track suspended at the top of the gym.

“We’re working class here. School was a place to not just get ahead but also see the world in a different way. Maybe you’re not getting the support from your family or even your neck of the woods, but at least the teachers are giving you inspiration or aspiration,” said Susan Terrill, a Libbey activist and 1966 graduate.

Terrill said the teachers at Libbey taught students the skills they needed for the next step.

Robert LaClair, regional president of Fifth Third Bank, said he had a number of great mentors at Libbey and still stays in touch with one of them.

“Libbey gave me a great foundation for dealing with diversity. I found great, caring teachers and have great memories of Libbey,” he said.

Toledo Councilman D. Michael Collins also remembers the role his teachers played in his education.

“My memories of Libbey High School are indelible in terms of the quality of the faculty and the commitment of principal Russie and vice principal Osgood. The teacher who had the greatest impact on me was Mrs. Snow. Her wise words for future challenges have remained with me,” wrote Collins, a 1962 graduate, in an e-mail to Toledo Free Press.

Bobbie John, a former writer who helped manage Johnny Cash’s career, credits her success to the “dedication of the excellent staff and teachers at Libbey who made learning exciting.”

The 1944 graduate can only remember one negative experience at Libbey — missing her Freshman Roundup because she was ill with the chicken pox.

Decision to close

The board of education’s decision to close Libbey was met by mixed responses from alumni. Some alumni understood the need for the closure, while other were — and are — upset.

“I feel that the Toledo Public Schools have given those who live in the Libbey district a great disservice,” Collins said. “To divide neighborhoods, such as the neighborhood I grew up in, and expect the students to go to Waite is unacceptable. This is not a reflection of the ability of education provided at Waite; it is an issue of geography. I doubt very much that there will be a homogenization within the student body. I believe the loss of Edward Drummond Libbey High School and the history that it has brought will leave a huge void in the City of Toledo and specifically the south end.”

Woodwork in the "old cafeteria" at Libbey.

Alumni have been fighting the board for more than 10 years to keep Libbey open, Tabner said. Tabner attended a number of board meetings and argued for the school, but in the end he understood the board’s decision.

“They didn’t do a lot of things they should have done, but when I finally looked at it I could see there weren’t enough people to keep the school open. They needed more activity, more children,” Tabner said.

Despite being upset about the school closing, Baccus said Libbey will live on.

“I’m not happy, but what I believe is, Libbey is what Libbey continues to do. And that’s beyond a building,” he said. “[The alumni] will have a presence in the community. We’ll be doing good things in the community. We have projects we’ll be doing in the community to continue to honor the Libbey name and make sure the name continues to be associated with good.”

The decision to close Libbey will save the district $1.2 million annually, Schaber said.

Memorabilia

Trophies and other memorabilia from Libbey will be moved to TPS administrative offices, Schaber said. Two original trophy cases, one donated in 1926 by Irving B. Hiett and the other in 1931 by that year’s senior class, will house the items.

In addition, sets of Libbey yearbooks, The Edelian, have been donated to four area Toledo-Lucas County libraries. The non-circulating volumes are available at the Main library, the South branch, Heatherdowns branch and Toledo Heights branch. Eventually, a fifth set will be delivered to the Mott branch.

Final roundup

Libbey High School alumni have one last chance to say goodbye to their school Sept. 25. The school will be open from noon to 5 p.m. for one final Cowboy and Cowgirl roundup.

Individuals in attendance will be able to tour the school and mingle with old classmates. Food, music, raffles and gifts will also be available throughout the evening.

Items that have been removed for safekeeping, such as state trophies, will be on display that evening for alumni to enjoy.

In addition, old Edelian yearbooks will be on sale in the main office during the event for $10 cash; not all years will be available.

Some areas of the building, such as the balcony in the auditorium, won’t be open during the tour because of safety issues, Schaber said.

“We know it can’t be perfect, if it was perfect then we wouldn’t be where we are,” Schaber said. “I’ve been working with various departments to get [the building] in as good of shape as we can so the alumni can have one good last visit. I want it to be respectful.”

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